Toy construction sets featuring interlocking log elements are well known in the toy industry and related fields and are described in several prior art references. Perhaps the best known of the toy log set genre is the prior art log set marketed under the trademark Lincoln Logs by the Playskool Division of the Hasbro Company of Pawtucket, R.I. The Lincoln Logs.TM. toy set features a plurality of log elements. Though provided in a variety of lengths, the log elements otherwise share a common shape. It is this common shape that limits the number and types of structures that can be constructed from the Lincoln Logs.TM. toy set. Moreover, though the Lincoln Logs.TM. toy set contains certain components for constructing roofs, these components are not designed to interlock compatibly with the log elements. Furthermore, the Lincoln Logs.TM. toy set is not designed to accommodate flooring.
There are also several other toy construction sets taught in prior art references such as U.S. Patents to Beck U.S. Pat. No. (4,372,076), Wawzonek U.S. Pat. No. (5,354,223), West U.S. Pat. No. (5,174,078) and McCollum U.S. Pat. No. (5,281,181). Beck teaches a modular interlocking block construction toy comprising log pieces of varing lengths and flat pieces for constructing roofs to which the log pieces interconnect. Like the Lincoln Logs.TM. log elements, however, the log pieces essentially share a common shape. Again, this common shape limits the number and types of features that can be incorporated into structures made from the Beck toy set as compared to the invention set forth infra. Wawzonek discloses a miniature building made of a plurality of wall members interlocked to form walls. The walls mount on a ground floor composed of a series of side by side log members as well as support a roof composed of a series of roof members. The Wawzonek device, however, requires a vertically disposed retaining assembly, in the form of a shaft member, which is used to retain the roof, wall and floor members in position. West teaches a playhouse featuring multiple interlocking planar log-like members and a roof construction having upper and lower tie beams. Roof pieces attach to the tie beams via roof peak pieces disposed on the upper tie beam. McCollum discloses a construction set primarily composed of planar logs and slider elements. The planar logs interlock through notches or notch-bearing mounting plates, and the slider elements, engageable with the planar logs, can be used to construct slidable windows for the structure to be built. The planar log-like members of West, like the planar logs of McCollum, however, feature nothing more than the standardized configuration of recess notches through which the planar log-like members and planar logs, respectively, interconnect. Furthermore, like the other cited prior art, neither West nor McCollum disclose a locking log member or a log based structure that incorporates locking log members as described and claimed infra.
Though primarily designed for children, the invention described and claimed below nevertheless has a degree of complexity that makes it appealing to adults as well. Due to the variety and sophistication of its components, for example, the invention can also be used by architects as a tool to assist in the design of a variety of log based structures. Whether used to construct simple structures typically conceived by young children or ones containing more complex architectural features coveted by adults or hobbyists, the invention should be a welcome addition to the toy construction set market.
The foregoing background information is provided to assist the reader to understand the invention described and claimed below. Accordingly, any terms used herein are not intended to be limited to any particular narrow interpretation unless specifically stated otherwise in this document.